Detachable container handling and material hauling apparatus



July 14, 1970 E. A. PUCKETT DETACHABLE CONTAINER HANDLING AND MATERIAL HAULING APPARATUS Filed June 15, 1968 3 Sheets-$heet 1 YINVENTOR.

E. A. PUCKETT Jul 14, 1970 DETACHABLE CONTAINER HANDLING AND MATERIAL HAULING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1968 INVENTOR. 6U66A/6 ,4. P065577 6 ATTflEA/V July 14, 1 970 E. A. PUCKETT DETACHABLE CONTAINER HANDLING AND MATERIAL HAULING APPARATUS Filed June 13, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet S LII 3,520,428 DETACHABLE CONTAINER HANDLING AND MATERIAL HAULING APPARATUS Eugene A. Puckett, Lakewood, Calif., assignor to Rite Way Mfg., Downey, Calif., a corporation of California Filed June 13, 1968, Ser. No. 736,638 Int. Cl. B65f 3/02 U.S. Cl. 214-302 21 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bulk material loading and hauling vehicle for use with detachable containers, such as for a trash disposal system, where a track system extends from in front of the vehicle up and over the cab to an opening in the top of the vehicle body and the containers are supported on a carriage assembly movable on the track system between the front loading position and the elevated dumping position where a portion of the carriage pivots to invert the container for dumping. The container is positively secured to the carriage assembly during elevating and dumping by laterally movable latching hooks on the carriage that engage cooperating brackets on the container but such latching hooks do not project forwardly an objectionable amount and thus the carriage need not be elevated for highway travel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a system for handling and hauling bulk materials that are received and stored in containers of such a large size as to prohibit manually lifting a container to empty it into a hauling vehicle, and in particular this invention relates to a trash handling and hauling system wherein the large containers may be conveniently loaded and elevated from the front of the vehicle for emptying but wherein the elevating apparatus may remain at the front of the vehicle during highway travel.

A great many devices and systems have been developed for handling large bulk material containers that are positioned at widely spaced locations whereby highway travel between such locations is required. Normally the containers or bins, as they are sometimes called, are of a particular configuration adapted to mate with the apparatus of the handling and hauling vehicle. One of the most common arrangements is to provide a pair of channel-shaped brackets on the bottom or opposite sides of the bin which are adapted to receive a pair of forks on the vehicle apparatus whereby the bin may be elevated and then inverted to empty the contents of the bin into the vehicle body without releasing the bin. It has been found that the most convenient and virtually the only practical location for loading the container or bin on the vehicle is in front of the vehicle where the operator can properly position the vehicle for picking up the container. Systems wherein the container is loaded from the rear have been employed but have been found very inconvenient insofar as manipulating the vehicle into a position sufficiently close to engage and lift the container.

Still other systems have employed apparatus located on the side of the vehicle for engaging and elevating the container to an emptying position but these are unsatisfactory for various reasons. With a side-loading system it is impossible to move the vehicle directly into engagement with the container but rather the container must be moved to the vehicle which is often difficult. Further when operating on a highway or a street with the side-loading type arrangement, the vehicle must be left a few feet from the curb to be able to move the container to a position States Patent ICC between the curb and the elevating apparatus and yet under most local ordinances the vehicle is then illegally parked or at the very least, would be obstructing trailic. Thus a side-loading vehicle simply is not practical for actual operation.

Heretofore the most practical apparatus for engaging and lifting these large bins or containers has been the afore-described fork and channel bracket system. The forks must be three or four feet long to ensure proper engagement with the lifting of the container and therefore the forks comprise a substantial and dangerous obstruction in the lowered position. Thus with side-loading, front-loading or rear-loading a fork type system requires that the fork be elevated to an unobstructive position above the vehicle. However this requires an additional operation both following the emptying and release of a container and prior to picking up a new, filled container if the vehicle must be moved from one location to a11- other. This results in a loss of time and inefficiency of operation. In the case of a front-loading system which in other aspects is the most practical, the forks must be elevated to a position above the vehicle cab to avoid visual obstruction as well and this is a substantial distance requiring a substantial time delay.

Still another deficiency in the conventional fork type lifting apparatus is that in many situations due to the physical location the container must be rolled to the ve hicle and rolled onto the forks. However the unevenness of the ground surface may make it substantially difiicult, if not impossible, to position the forks at a proper elevation for moving the container onto the forks since the forks must be threaded into the channel-shaped brackets. If the uneven terrain causes one fork to be higher than the other by any substantial degree, then the container cannot be placed on the forks and the vehicle must be moved to a better location. The problem is compounded by the fact that the caster type rollers provided on the containers and the very weight of the filled containers themselves make it very diflicult to manually move the containers in the precise manner required for positioning a container on the forks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By this invention there is provided a novel form of container handling apparatus on the hauling vehicle with a mating container wherein the container is loaded from the front of the vehicle by a novel supporting device which does not require forwardly projecting forks but which permits safely elevating and inverting the container for emptying and such supporting device need not be moved from the container loading and unloading position during highway travel.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel system of detachable bulk containers and a mobile vehicle adapted to handle such containers wherein the containers are supported and latched to an elevating apparatus by only one side of the container with no significantly obstructive projections extending from the support apparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel form of bulk material handling and hauling apparatus including detachable containers wherein the container is latched to a carriage assembly adapted to travel on a track system to a position above the body of the vehicle whereupon a portion of the carriage assembly is pivoted to invert the container for emptying but without detaching the carriage assembly from the track system.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel form of bulk container handling apparatus including a support and latching system having a horizontally movable latch bar for locking the container to the support assembly. A further object is to provide such an arrange- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the container handling and material hauling vehicle with portions of the track system broken away to best illustrate the handling apparatus and with a large bulk container positioned at the front for elevating.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevation view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating the outermost side of the handling apparatus including the attachment of the drive chain means to the movable carriage.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the idler sprocket and roller arrangement for supporting the drive chain of the handling apparatus as it passes around the corner at the front of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 3 illustrating the support for the idler sprocket and roller arrangement.

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the line 5'5 illustrating the idler roller arrangement.

FIG. 6 is an elevation view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrating the container in the elevated and inverted position for emptying the contents of the container into the hauling vehicle.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevation view of the carriage and container in an intermediate position along the track system with the nearer track broken away for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view of the carriage and container on the track system at the point of initial pivoting of the container toward the emptying position shown in FIG. 6 and again the nearer track is removed for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the cam track shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 for causing inverting of the container.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear side of the frame for supporting the container.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view from the front of the frame and carriage assembly.

FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 are front elevation views of the container supporting frame on the carriage with a container superimposed in front of the frame and illustrating the progressive movement of the latching arrangement upon lifting of the container to latch the container to the frame.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the cam and cam follower arrangement for automatically latching the container to the frame during elevation as illustrated in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective rear View illustrating the latching of the frame lock bar to the rear side of a container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present invention is described with respect to a refuse disposal and hauling system since such is the most significant use of the invention presently contemplated but it will readily appear to those skilled in the art that the invention may have numerous other useful applications. The mobile vehicle employed with this invention is of a conventional design for trucks for highway operation and comprises a chassis 10 with front wheels 11, a cab portion 12 for the vehicle operator, and a body 13 behind the cab adapted to receive and contain the bulk material. The body 13 may be of any conventional design which may include apparatus therein for compacting or otherwise treating or handling the material emptied into the body 13. Such further equipment within the body 13 forms no part of this invention,

The bulk container or bin, generally designated 15, may be of the relatively conventional type in most respects comprising a rectangular sheet metal body with vertical sides and having caster-type wheels 16 on the bottom. Due to the manner of lifting the bin 15 as hereinafter described, the bottom of the bin need not be of the substantial structural strength normally required of bins of this type that are used with fork-type lifting apparatus; The top of the bin 15 may be open or, as is more usual, a hinged lid may be provided.

While any form of lid or cover may be employed on the container 15, a preferred form is shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 of the drawings. The preferred lid assembly, generally designated 17, includes two cover sections 18 and 19 hinged together at 20 with a pivot arm assembly 21 and spring 22 for facilitating the manual opening of lid portion 19 to deposit refuse in the bin 15. The lid portions 18 and 19 are not directly hinged to the body of the bin 15 but rather the lid portion 18 is securely fastened to a pair of laterally spaced arms 23 (visible in FIG. 6) which are in turn hinged at 24 to the front of the bin 15. This permits the entire lid to be lifted from the rear portion 18 or just the forward portion 19 to be lifted by pivoting about the hinge 20. Finally it will be noted that a hook member 25 is provided on the side of the bin and movable to a position overlying the lid portion 19 to prevent the lid portion 19 from pivoting to a full open position when the bin 15 is inverted, as shown in FIG. 6.

A track and drive system, generally designated 30, is provided on the front of the chassis 10 for guiding and elevating the bin 15 from the position in front of the vehicle to the position above the body 13. The system includes a channel-shaped track 31 on opposite sides of the chassis 10 with the open portion of each channel: shaped track facing the opposite track. The tracks 31 are comprised of a short vertical portion 32 at the front of the vehicle connected to a curved corner portion 33 and then to a long inclined portion 34 extending up to and above the top opening in the body 13 of the chassis 10. The short vertical portions 32 are of a height to elevate the start of the inclined path of movement of the apparatus over the vehicle to a point above the hood 14.

On the outer sides of each of the tracks 31 is provided a chain drive comprising a single length of roller chain 35 extending generally along the track. The chain 35 on each side of the chassis is driven by a sprocket 36 mounted on a shaft 37 extending across the vehicle and supported above the body portion 13. As shown in FIG. 6 the shaft 37 is driven by a sprocket 38 through a reducing chain drive 39 from a motor 40. The motor 40 is preferably of the reversible, hydraulic driven type whereby a pump (not shown) driven by the internal combustion engine of the vehicle may serve to operate the drive system through a simple control arrangement well known to those skilled in the art. The single length of roller chain 35 on each side of the vehicle extends over a rotatably mounted sprocket 41 at the upper end of the track 31, down to the corner portion 33 of the track to a pair of idler rollers 42 and 43 to allow the chain to curve around the corner and extend downwardly therefrom. The return portion of the single chain 35 extends from the drive sprocket 36 over an idler sprocket 44 near the upper end of track 31, then to a second idler sprocket 45 at the corner portion 33 of the track, then downwardly to a sprocket 46 at the lowermost end of track 31, as best shown in FIG. 2, and finally in an upward direction to the carriage assembly. Referring to FIG. 2, the two ends of the chain 35 are connected to the carriage assembly which supports the containers 15 and preferably the ends are pivotally connected to the carriage at 47 with the connection of the lower, return strand of the chain being spring-loaded as'at 48 to eliminate the slack and maintain the proper tension in the chain 35. It will readily appear to those skilled in the art that the spring-loading Of the chain as at 48 might be replaced by any convenient form of chain tensioning apparatus such as a movable, biased idler sprocket.

The support for the two strands of chain 35 at the corner portion 33 of the track is shown in detail in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. A plate 49 is supported in spaced relationship from the track 31 by a pair of studs 50. The idler sprocket 45 is rotatably supported by a stud shaft 51 supported on the plate 49. The upper strand of the chain 35 passes over the idler rollers 42 and 43 which are supported on sub-shafts 52 and 53 respectively mounted on the plate 49. The rollers 43 each have a central ridge 54 for keep ing the chain on the roller but there are no sprocketteeth provided on the rollers to engage the chain since, as Will become more clear from the further description, the chain 35 will be lifted off the rollers as the containersupporting carriage passes over the corner portion 33 of the track and the chain will reengage the rollers as the carriage passes upwardly or downwardly from the corner. With sprocket teeth there is the possibility that the chain might come to rest on the point .of a tooth rather than properly engaging the sprocket tooth and, moreover, the sprocket teeth would require that the chain be lifted even further by the carriage to clear the teeth for passage of the end connections 47 of the chain.

In order to support and convey the bin or container from ground level to the material receiving body 13 by means of the track and drive system 30, a carriage assembly, generally designated 60, is mounted on and connected to the track and drive system 30. The construction of the carriage assembly 60 may assume many forms and only one such convenient form is shown and described herein. The carriage assembly 60 includes a support carriage 61 comprised of frame plates 62 adjacent each track 31 connected by a pair of structural tubes 63 extending horizontally between the plates 62. For convenience the ends of the chain 35 are pivotally mounted on the ends of the tubes 63 at the afore-described points 47. A pair of spaced rollers 64 are mounted on each frame plate 62 and the rollers 64 are of a size to fit into the channel-shaped tracks 31. In this manner the support carriage 61 is adapted to ride from one end to the other of the tracks 31 in a smooth and convenient manner with a minimum of components and elements that might become fouled or tend to wear. The continuous length of chain 35 pulls the support carriage 61 in either direction along the track 31 by merely reversing the motor 40 and this prevents the support carriage 61 from becoming stuck in any one position although it will readily appear to those skilled in the art that normally the weight of the carriage assembly 60 and a bin 15 should be adequate to return the carriage from the elevated position to the posiition in front of the vehicle without a positive drive.

The carriage assembly 60 includes a unitary frame, generally designated 65, mounted on the front of the support carriage 61 and adapted to support the bin or container 15. As shown in FIG. 10, the frame 65 may comprise a plurality of vertical structural members 66 rigidly fixed, as by welding, to two or more horizontal structural members 67 to form a rigid frame. A pivot arm 68 is mounted on each end of the unitary frame 65 and extends upwardly and rearwardly thereof. Each pivot arm is pivotally mounted on the upper of the two structural tubes 63 of the support carriage 61 whereby the frame 65 is pivotable with respect to the support carriage 61 by the arms 68. Preferably the lower portion of the arms 68 have an abutment shoulder 69 for engaging the lower structural tube 63 in the normal position of the frame 65 as shown in FIG. 11. The pivoting of frame 65 with respect to support carriage 61 occurs for inverting the bin 15 as shown in FIG. 6 as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Means are provided on the unitary frame 65 for cooperating with the bin 15 for lifting the bin and as shown in the drawings, these means may include an upwardly extending flange 70 extending across the upper front edge of the frame 65. Flange 70 is adapted to fit behind a structural member 71 on the back of the bin 15 forming a liftmg edge or element on the bin. For convenience of illustration in FIGS. 1, 6, 7 and 8 the structural member 71 is illustrated as suspended from a rearwardly extending plate on the bin 15 whereas normally side supports and braces will be provided on the bin to assure structural integrity of the lifting edge formed at the upper rear of the bin. The flange 70 is provided with notched portions 73 for accommodating such side supports and braces particularly on narrow bins. The lowermost structural member 67 of the frame 65 has a front surface 72 adapted to about the rear side of the bin or container 15 as shown in FIG. 1. Thus upon raising of the carriage assembly with the bin 15 positioned as shown in FIG. 1, the flange 70 Will engage the lifting edge on the bin formed by member 71 and the surface 72 will support the lower portion of the bin whereby the bin may be elevated. It is to be noted that in the lowermost position of the carriage assembly 60 the upper edge of the lifting flange 70 will be substantially below the bottom of the structural member 71 on the bin 15 so that the bin 15 may be pushed against the frame with surface 72 abutting the bin for establishing proper alignment whereby when the carriage is elevated the flange will move up behind the bin member 71 to engage the lifting edge of the bin.

In order to permit the bin 15 to be safely elevated to the position above body 13 and to be inverted for emptying the bin, means are provided for latching the bin to the unitary frame 65 and these means may include the horizontal locking bar 75. The locking bar 75 is mounted for sliding reciprocal movement in the horizontal direction relative to the frame 65 by any convenient means such as stub shafts 76 mounted on the back side of the bar 75 and slidably engaging pillow books 77 mounted on the structural members of the frame 65. The reciprocating movement of the lock bar 75 preferably is automatically accomplished as by a cam follower 78 mounted on the rear side of lock bar 75 adapted to mate with a cam slot or track 79 mounted on the front of the chassis 10, as on the bumper 9. The cam track 79 is provided with a tapered opening 80 at the top and, as viewed from the front in FIGS. l215, the cam track then inclines downwardly to the right at 81 to connect with a vertical portion 82 therebelow whereby as the cam follower 78 moves downward from the upper to the lower portion of the cam track 79 the lock bar 75 will move from left to right and vice versa upon upward movement. The cam track 79 preferably confines the cam follower 78 on both sides to forceably move the lock bar in both directions.

The front surface of lock bar 75 is provided with a series of L-shaped hooks 83 pointed to the left as viewed from the front. The bins or containers 15 are provided with horizontally-open brackets 84 mounted on the rear side of the bin and adapted to receive the hooks 83 of the lock bar 75. The brackets 84 and hooks 83 are provided at a predetermined horizontal spacing whereby at least one and preferably more than one hook 83 will engage a bracket 84 upon right to left movement of the locking bar. The vertical positioning of the lock bar 75 on frame 65 and brackets 84 on the bin 15 is readily coordinated by reason of the afore-described engagement and lifting of the bin 15 by the upper flange 70 of the frame. Attention is directed to FIG. 12 illustrating the non-engaging, initial position of the frame 65 with respect to the bin 15 and with the cam follower 78 in the lower, vertical portion 82 of the cam track. As the frame 65 is elevated to the position of FIG. 13 the flange 70 will engage the lifting edge of the bin to begin lifting the bin but the cam follower 78 is still in the vertical portion 82 of the ca m track whereby the locking bar has not yet been moved to the left. Upon further elevation of the frame to the position shown in FIG. 14 the inclined portion 81 of the cam track will force the locking bar 75 to the left whereby the hooks 83 engage and mate with the gripping brackets 84 on the rear side of the bin. Thus the vertical alignment of the brackets 84 with the hooks 83 is assured by the lifting of the bin by the flange 70. The lateral alignment of the bin or container is established by rollers 86 mounted on arms 87 mounted on and projecting a short distance forward of the frame 65. While two arms 87 are provided for ease of alignment, it will readily appear to those skilled in the art that only the left arm (as viewed from the front) is essential for accomplishing the lateral alignment so the hooks will enter the brackets 84. Left arm 87 also prevents lateral movement of the bin while the hooks 83 are engaged which might otherwise permit the bin to become detached.

This arrangement may me employed equally as well with a single bin 15 of the full width of the carriage assembly 60, as illustrated, or one or more narrower bins lifted simultaneously. By providing a plurality of hooks 83 on lock bar 75, as shown, in a predetermined spaced relationship coordinated with the brackets 84 on the various sizes of bins, each bin or group of bins will fit on the carriage assembly 60 just as readily as a single, full size bin. Thus, this system allows more flexibility in the bin design and use than heretofore possible.

From the position shown in FIG. 14 with the carriage assembly elevated 21 short distance above its lowermost position and the bin or container 15 supported on the frame 65, the further operation of the drive motor 40 will cause the carriage assembly to proceed up the tracks 31 toward the emptying position. The lock bar 75 is maintained in locking relationship with the brackets 84 on the bin 15 by any convenient means such as a tension spring 88 connected between the lock bar and the frame. After passing over the corner portion 33 of the track 31 the carriage assembly 60 and bin 15 will be in substantially the relationship shown in FIG. 7 with the bin resting on the carriage as the carriage progresses up the inclined portion 34 of the track. The angle of the inclined portion 34 of the tracks is preferably of a sufficient degree as to prevent the materials within the bin 15 from spilling therefrom. Near the upper end of each track 31 is a cam housing, generally designated 90, laterally aligned with the position of the pivot arms 68. Each cam housing 90 has two laterally spaced cam tracks formed with a curved entry portion 91 and a relatively vertical portion 92 extending downwardly therefrom. Each of the pivot arms 68 is provided with a pair of rollers 93 on either side of the arm to engage the laterally spaced cam tracks of the cam housing 90. The curved portion 91 of the cam track intersects the normal path of the rollers 93 as the carriage assembly 60 progresses up the track 31 to engage the rollers 93 and initiates and pivoting of the unitary frame 65 relative to the support carriage 61, as shown in FIG. 8. Further movement of the support carriage 61 in the upward direction causes the pivot arm to be urged downwardly into the cam housing 90 onto the cam track portions 92 to invert the bin 15 the desired amount as shown in FIG. 6. A stop abutment 94 may be provided on the tracks 31 to prevent the carriage from travelling beyond the desired point. An inner cam track portion 95 is provided in spaced relationship from cam track portion 92 to engage the rollers 93 and prevent the weight of the bin 15 and frame 65 from causing any further pivoting of the frame than desired.

After emptying the contents from the bin 15 as shown in FIG. 6, the motor 40 is reversed to cause the support carriage 61 to start down the track 31 which in turn causes the reverse pivoting of the frame 65 by the pivot arms 68 to return the carriage assembly 60 to the condition illustrated in FIG. 7. Throughout this inverting movement of the bin 15 the bin is positively locked to the unitary frame 65 by the hooks 83 of the lock bar 75 engaging the brackets 84 and the end-wise restraint afforded by the arm 87 and roller 86. As the carriage assembly 60 is lowered toward the position shown in FIG. 1, it will pass through the sequence shown in FIGS. 14, 13 and 12, respectively, wherein the cam follower 78 enters the cam track 79 at portion 80 and passes through the inclined portion 81 to urge the lock bar 75 toward the right, as viewed from the front, to unlatch the hooks 83 from the brackets 84. Finally the further lowering of the carriage assembly will move the upstanding flange 70 from beneath the lifting edge formed by the member 71 on the bin 15 whereupon the respective components are in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 12 and the bin 15 can be freely rolled away from the front of the vehicle without any further manipulation. Since the components of the carriage assembly 60 do not form any significantly objectionable obstructions in front of the vehicle, the carriage assembly 60 may remain in the lowered position shown in FIG. 2 during travel between respective locations of containers 15. As previously pointed out, this is not possible with the heretofore conventional fork arrangements and therefore the fork supporting carriage had to be elevated to a position above the cab 12 in any of the prior art systems before travelling to the new location.

Thus it may be seen that by this invention there is provided a novel system for handling large bulk material containers of the detachable type and the system is particularly applicable to vehicles which must be operated on the highways between locations of the containers. The system allows rapid and easy engagement of the large container on the elevating apparatus of the vehicle and also permits the use of numerous sizes of containers without requiring manipulation of forks or other lifting devices to accommodate the particular size of container. Although I have fully described my invention in connection with a single embodiment of specific construction and adapted for the specific purpose of refuse collection, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to this specific embodiment but rather is of the full scope of the appanded claims.

I claim:

1. In a front loading and hauling vehicle apparatus for use with detachable containers having engageable brackets on one side, the combination of, a track system on the vehicle extending from a loading position in the front of the vehicle upwardly to an emptying position, a carriage mounted for movement on the track system between the two positions, drive means for selectively causing said carriage movement, container supporting means on said carriage including a flange portion adapted to engage and lift the container and laterally movable latch means for engaging said brackets and locking the container to the carriage, and actuating means automatically operated for causing lateral locking movement of said latch means as the container is lifted from the ground by said flange portion for movement of the carriage to and from the emptying position and causing unlocking movement of said latch means as the container is lowered to the ground.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the carriage has a member for engaging the container to prevent lateral movement of the container out of locking engagement with said latch means. i

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said latch means includes at least two L-shaped hook elements pointing laterally for passing into the container brackets and said hook elements project forwardly only a small, unobstructive amount for allowing the carriage to remain in the loading position during travel of the vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said container supporting means comprises a frame pivotally mounted on said frame, and interengaging means on said frame and vehicle at the emptying position for tilting said frame and the container relative to said carriage for emptying the contents from the container.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said track system is comprised of a pair of parallel and laterally spaced roller-supporting tracks extending from in front of the vehicle on an incline over the vehicle cab to the emptying position above and behind the cab, and said carriage has a pair of rollers engaging each said track for supporting the carriage for movement therealong.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drive means includes a length of roller chain with ends connected to and extending in opposite directions from the carriage, idler rollers positioned at points along said track system for supporting said chain to extend the length of said track system, and a drive sprocket engaging the chain for causing movement in each direction for moving said carriage.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said connections between said carriage and chain ends are pivotable.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein two said lengths of chain are provided with one on each lateral end of the carriage and the said drive sprockets are simultaneously driven.

9. In a front loading and hauling vehicle apparatus for use with detachable containers having a lifting edge and gripping brackets on one side, the combination of, a track system on the vehicle extending from a loading position in the front of the vehicle upwardly over the vehicle cab to an emptying position behind the cab and including two laterally spaced tracks, a body on the vehicle open behind the cab for receiving material from the container, a carriage mounted for movement on the track system between the two positions and including a pair of rollers engaging each said track, drive means for selectively causing said carriage movement including a tension element for pulling said carriage up the track system, container supporting means on said carriage including a portion for engaging said container lifting edge and a laterally movable latch means for engaging said gripping brackets, means for automatically causing lateral movement of said latch means in the loading position of the carriage to lock the container to the carriage for movement to the emptying position and to unlatch the container upon return to the loading position, means for preventing lateral movement of the container in the latched condition, and means for inverting the container while remaining supported by and latched to the carriage in the emptying position.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said container supporting means comprises a unitary frame pivotally suspended from said carriage with said container-engaging portion and latch means on said frame, and interengaging means on said frame and vehicle for pivoting said frame and inverting the containeras the carriage approaches and reaches said emptying position.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said means for causing said lateral movement of the latch means comprises interengaging cam means on said latch means and the vehicle actuated by the movement to and from the loading position.

12. In a front loading and hauling vehicle apparatus for bulk material, the combination of, a detachable container having gripping brackets means on one side, a track system on the vehicle extending from a loading position in the front of the vehicle upwardly to an emptying position, a carriage mounted for movement on the track system between the two positions, drive means for selectively causing said carriage movement, container supporting means on said carriage including a laterally movable latch means for engaging said gripping bracket means, and means for automatically causing lateral movement of said latch means in the loading position of the carriage upon initial elevating movement to lock said container to the carriage for movement to the emptying position and to unlatch the container by the final lowering movement upon return to the loading position.

13. The combination of claim 12 wherein said gripping bracket means have a horizontally-open U-shape and said latch means include a horizontally-pointing L-shaped hook projecting only a small distance in front of said carriage.

14. The combination of claim 12 wherein said container has a lifting element on the same side as said bracket means and above said bracket means, and said supporting means includes means for engaging said lifting element.

15. The combination of claim 14 wherein a frame is pivotally mounted on said carriage for horizontally tilting and carries said container supporting means, a pivot arm on said frame, a cam track on said vehicle at said emptying position for engaging said pivot arm for tilting said frame and inverting said container.

16. In a bulk material loading and carrying vehicle for highway operation and adapted to load from the front of the vehicle from separate bulk containers which have gripping brackets on one vertical side with horizontal openings in such brackets, the combination of; a chassis having a cab at the front and a material-receiving body with a top opening in said body behind said cab, a pair of laterally spaced parallel tracks mounted on opposite sides and at the front of said chassis, said tracks extending from a first point in front of the chassis near ground level upwardly and over the cab to a second point adjacent said body top opening, said tracks being inclined at a substantial angle from horizontal at all points therealong, a carriage extending laterally and having a pair of spaced rollers on each lateral end for engaging said tracks for rolling movement along said tracks between said two points, a chain drive connected to said carriage for causing said movement along the tracks, a frame mounted on and in front of said carriage for pivotal movement about a horizontal lateral axis, a laterally extending lock bar slidably mounted on the front of said frame for horizontal movement, said lock bar having horizontally facing hooks projecting forwardly only a small amount for engaging the said gripping brackets on a bulk container, interengaging cam and cam follower means on said lock bar and said chassis near said first point for causing said horizontal movement to a bracket-engaging position upon upward movement of said carriage and a bracket-released position upon downward movement, and means for causing pivoting of said frame relative to said carriage upon movement of said carriage toward the said second point to invert the container over the top opening of the body for emptying and then reinverting the container for movement of the carriage toward the first point.

17. In a bulk material loading and carrying vehicle apparatus for highway operation and adapted to load from the front of the vehicle from separate bulk containers, the combination of, a container having a lifting element and gripping bracket means on one vertical side with horizontal openings in such bracket means, said container having a top opening for receiving and discharging the bulk material, a vehicle chassis having a cab at the front and a material-receiving body with a top opening in said body behind said cab, a pair of laterally spaced parallel tracks mounted on opposite sides and at the front of said chassis, said tracks extending from a first point in front of the chassis near ground level upwardly and over the cab to a second point adjacent said body top opening, said tracks being inclined at a substantial angle from horizontal at all points therealong, a carriage extending laterally and having a pair of spaced rollers on each lateral end for engaging said tracks for rolling movement along said tracks between said two points, a chain drive connected to said carriage for causing said movement including sprockets adjacent each track at each of the two end points with means for driving the sprockets at the second point and a chain reeved over the sprockets with the ends connected to said carriage, a frame mounted on and in front of said carriage for pivotal movement about a horizontal lateral axis, a lock bar extending laterally and slidably mounted on the front of said frame for horizontal movement, said lock bar having horizontally facing hooks projecting forwardly a small amount for engaging the said gripping brackets on the bulk container, interengaging cam and cam fol- 11 lower means on said lock bar and said chassis near said first point for causing said horizontal movement to a bracket-engaging position upon upward movement of said carriage and a bracket-released position upon downward movement, said frame having a lifting flange for engaging the said container lifting element for lifting the container, a pivot arm means mounted on said frame and extending upwardly and rearwardly, and cam track means on said chassis at said top opening of the body positioned for engaging said pivot arm means during movement of said carriage toward the said second point and said cam track means shaped for causing pivoting of said frame relative to said carriage to invert the container over the top opening of the body for emptying and then reinverting the container upon movement of the carriage toward the first point.

18. The combination of claim 17 wherein said lifting flange is vertically located at a predetermined position with respect to both said container lifting element and the actuating position of said interengaging cam and cam follower means for causing lifting of said container a short distance before said lock bar is moved horizontally to the bracketing-engaging position.

19. In a front loading and hauling vehicle apparatus for use with detachable containers having engageable brackets on one side, the combination of, a track system on the vehicle extending from a loading position in the front of the vehicle upwardly to an emptying position, a carriage mounted for movement on the track system between the two positions, drive means for selectively causing said carriage movement, container supporting means on said carriage including latch means for locking the container to the carriage, said latch means comprising a horizontally slidable bar with hook elements for engaging the container brackets, and actuating means for causing said lateral locking movement and comprising an interengaging cam and cam track on said bar and vehicle for automatically operating said latch means upon movement of the carriage from and to the loading position.

20. In a front loading and hauling vehicle apparatus for use with detachable containers having engageable brackets on one side, the combination of, a track system on the vehicle extending from a loading position in the front of the vehicle upwardly to an emptying position and comprising a single pair of tracks with one track on each side of the vehicle, a carriage having a pair of spaced rollers on each side for mating engagement with each said track to mount said carriage for movement on the track system between the two positions, drive means for selectively causing said carriage movement between loading and emptying positions, a frame pivotally mounted on a lateral horizontal axis on said carriage, container supporting means on said frame including laterally movable latch means for engaging said brackets and locking the container to the frame during the movement of the carriage and frame to and from the emptying position, a pivot arm mounted on said frame, and cam means mounted on the vehicle at the emptying position at a location to engage said pivot arm during movement of the carriage toward the emptying position for causing pivoting of said frame relative to said carriage to invert and dump the container solely by the continuing movement of the carriage by said drive means.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein interengaging actuating means on said frame and vehicle automatically cause said lateral movement of said latch means solely by the said movement of the carriage at the loading position to lock said latch means upon initial elevating and unlock said latch means upon final lowering.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner 

